A BRINKWORTH man who took part in a year long spate of break-ins at rural businesses has been jailed for ten years.

Jesse Gregory plundered more than £200,000 from the safes and tills of family businesses, charities, golf clubs, garden centres and other isolated business.

The 50-year-old was one of a gang of professional burglars who targeted buildings on the edges of county towns across the south west.

While he was found to be involved in 99 of the 120 raids his partners in crime only accepted lesser roles in the 12 months of crime in 2014.

David Royles, 54, who admitted being involved in 27 of the night time raids and Joseph Butler, 25, who accepted his part in 33 of them, each got seven years.

Barnaby Shaw, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the operation was 'professional' and 'sophisticated' with careful planning.

He said it was not possible to say who was the main player in the team which must have involved others who were not before the court.

The men were kitted out in masks and camouflage clothes and often approached their target by driving cross-country to avoid being seen on CCTV.

Generally using Subaru Forrester cars they would then cut their way through fences and force doors before jemmying safes from their mounting.

Slings attached from the back of the vehicle would then be put round the safes so they could be pulled out, smashing walls and doorways as they went.

Angle grinders were also used to cut into them either on the premises or after they had been taken away.

Although the cash haul from the raids was £211,484 a further £471,847 worth of damage was caused to the buildings.

As well as targeting pubs like the Pelican at Froxfield and the Riverside Restaurant at Lechlade they also smashed into the Stonehenge visitor centre.

In another raid in Salisbury they caused thousands in damage to the Shaw Trust charity and stole hundreds belonging to its staff of disabled workers.

When they were disturbed at a business in Warminster one of the gang hit a man with a metal bar as he confronted them, though Butler and Royles denied being there.

Gregory, of Railway Cottages, Brinkworth, Royles, and Butler, of, Gloucester admitted conspiracy to burgle.

Matthew Harbinson, for Gregory, said his client was now very sorry for what he had done.

Clare Fear, for Royles, said he was full of remorse and now understood the impact on victims of his crimes.

Dawn Burrow, for Butler, said he was the youngest, his wife was now pregnant with their fourth child, and would not come before the courts again.

Jailing them Judge Peter Blair QC said "You wreaked havoc, frankly, over a 12 month period. The impact on victims, some of them small family businesses, has been incalculable.

"There was wanton destruction in the burglaries and no though to the damage caused. That has had a significant impact on people, many will never get over it."

DC Jem Horner, of Wiltshire Police, said afterwards: “These men caused a colossal amount of damage to businesses. They left behind a trail of destruction, which in this case added to the pattern and led to their capture and an end to their crime spree.”